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Lab Principle Investigator
Kelly Courtney, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry, UCSD
Research Interests: My lab has an active research program in clinical neuroscience of substance addiction. Our research focuses on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the development and maintenance of addiction by studying its associated constructs such as craving and impulsivity. Within this context, we hope to develop new ways to intervene and treat substance addiction. In our studies, we use a number of methods including virtual reality, psychophysiology (e.g., eye-tracking), neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI, EEG, fNIRS), cognitive, and behavioral assessments.
Email: kecourtney@health.ucsd.edu
Phone: (619) 348-5866
To learn more about Dr. Courtney's work click here
Education and Training
UCLA, Los Angeles - PhD in Clinical Psychology (2016)
San Diego State Univ, San Diego - MA in Psychology (2009)
Research Activities and Funding
Role: Principal Investigator
The Use of Virtual Reality to Induce and Assess Alcohol Craving (NIAAA R21 AA030284)
Advancing VR-Based Attentional Bias as a Biomarker for Tobacco Use Disorder (NIDA R01 DA058665)
Parental Nicotine Use History and Early-Life Markers of Response to Acute Nicotine (TRDRP T34IR8391)
Role: Co-Investigator
Vaping in Childhood and Adolescence: Cognitive and Behavioral Consequences (NIDA R01 DA054980)
Cannabis and Nicotine Co-Use Influences on Protracted Development of Neural Structure and Function (NIDA R01 DA054106)
Recent Publications
Attentional Bias, Pupillometry, and Spontaneous Blink Rate: Eye Characteristic Assessment Within a Translatable Nicotine Cue Virtual Reality Paradigm. JMIR Serious Games. 2024 Jun 27; 12:e54220. Courtney KE, Liu W, Andrade G, Schulze J, Doran N. PMID: 38952012; PMCID: PMC11220568.
A preliminary investigation of physical and mental health features of cannabis & nicotine co-use among adolescents and young adults by sex. Addict Behav. 2024 09; 156:108064. Wallace AL, Courtney KE, Wade NE, Doran N, Delfel EL, Baca R, Hatz LE, Thompson C, Andrade G, Jacobus J. PMID: 38821010.
Selected list of Dr. Courtney's publications can be found here: publications
Staff Researchers
Education and Training
San Diego State Univ, San Diego - MA in Psychology (2012)
Research Interests
Norma is a Clinical Supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry. Her thesis explored biological mechanisms of alcohol addiction, with a focus on ethanol chemosensory processing and reward pathways, particularly examining the role of the insular cortex in chemosensory responses to ethanol. Afterward, she concentrated on identifying structural, functional, and neurocognitive brain changes associated with adolescent substance use and development. Currently, she is involved in a nationwide study on brain development and child health and a virtual reality paradigm to measure craving in substances. Her primary research interest in uncovering the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of addiction.
Ryan Sullivan, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher
email: rysullivan@health.ucsd.edu
Education and Training
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – PhD in Clinical Psychology (2024)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – MS in Psychology (2021)
Research Interests
Ryan is a postdoctoral researcher working in the Courtney Lab. He is interested in examining the risks for and consequences of substance use disorders across in adolescence and adulthood, with a specific emphasis on the effects of substance use on the brain and its intersection with psychopathology. These questions are researched using multi-modal approaches, including, behavioral, cognitive, neuroimaging, and complex statistical modeling, and across multiple processes including, cognition, affect, and reward. These questions aim to inform treatment-related outcomes, understand consequences of use, and elucidate neurobiological processes in the context of addiction.
Arwynn McKinty, B.S.- Staff Researcher/ Project Coordinator
Email: aamckinty@health.ucsd.edu
Education and Training
University of California, San Diego - B.S in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy (2024)
Research Interests
Arwynn is the Project Coordinator for the Alcohol Virtual Reality Study, which we recently wrapped up data collection for. She handled subject data collection, data processing, and participant recruitment. Arwynn is interested in utilizing objective, psychophysiological measures to understand addiction and craving. She hopes to obtain her PhD in clinical psychology and ultimately contribute to novel interventions for substance use and concurrent mental health challenges, particularly depression and anxiety.
Camarin Laurance, B.S. - Staff Researcher/ Project Coordinator
Email: claurance@health.ucsd.edu
Education and Training
Northern Arizona University - B.S. in Psychological Sciences, Neuroscience Emphasis
Research Interests
Camarin is the Project Coordinator for the Varen Virtual Reality Study. She manages participant data collection, data processing, and recruitment efforts. Camarin is passionate about the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and data science and is particularly interested in utilizing neurotechnology to understand behavioral patterns. She hopes to pursue a Graduate degree in Cognitive Psychology.
Research Assistants
Gisele Julian - Research Assistant
Education and Training
University of California, San Diego - B.S. in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Biology (2025)
Research Interests
Gisele is a Research Assistant for the Alcohol and Vareniciline VR Studies. She assists in recruitment, screening potential participants, and helps to gather participant data throughout the study. Gisele is in her fourth year at UCSD working towards obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology and minoring in Biology. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field. Gisele is interested in understanding addiction and the treatment of various mental health disorders.
Joshua Lyman - Research Assistant
Education and Training
University of California, San Diego - B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience
Research Interests
Josh is a research assistant working alongside Dr. Ryan Sullivan, where he helps analyze neuroimaging and behavioral data to better understand how substance use affects the brain. Joshua is especially interested in using multimodal data and advanced statistical modeling to study the intersection of addiction and psychopathology. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with the goal of contributing to research that informs treatment and prevention efforts for youth and young adults.
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